Wednesday, 25 March 2015

Oval Doily

This is what happens when you don't read a pattern properly!

I made the whole second round of chains with four picots… and there should have been three!

"snip, snip, snip"

Start again.

Those chains felt really tight with only three picots but I carried on as written. Now the third row of chains and rings frill a bit. This makes me think Mr. Fikkert and I don't tat the same (ie. have a different tension). But I'll keep going and see how I get on.

Yes, I agree Jane… although perhaps it would be a little difficult to measure? The difference are often very small but it can still surprisingly affect the outcome of a tatted piece. Also of huge importance, is the size of picots. Another thing that is rarely mentioned, unless they are particularly large, for threading beads, or other more unusual purposes. I must admit I'm the same in my own patterns, I do mention very small picots just for joining or graduated ones, but I don't measure all my picots to mark them on a pattern.An interesting issue that would deserve more debating! :-)

I too have his 2 books and though I have several favorite items tagged, I have yet to tat anything from Ben's......It will be interesting to watch how things progress for you as I think my tension and picot sizes are very similar to yours.I find that I am always adjusting the stitch counts in most patterns (especially Renulek's larger doilies) for my tension and the Larks Head joins I always use. I find it is easier to adjust the stitch count slightly then try to adjust my tension or modify my tatting style.... force of habit and too much to keep track of I guess. :)

I agree with both of you, tension never seems to get mentioned, and the size of the picots, although I like you have put very small or large I am sure beginners do wonder how small us small and how big is right as I have found out teaching, it seems a question that comes up every week, with different patterns.I think and look at the picture to see if the designer has used large or smallish picots, not always easy but really as a rough guide Lovely colour looking forward to seeing more as you tat.Margaret

At this stage, between the 2 pics, I actually like the one with 4 picots very much :-)I agree about being able to gauge tension. Renulek's 2015 napkin shows clearly, through close-ups, the picot lengths. And when this is juxtaposed against the thread size used, it helps a bit. Not foolproof, but a bit better. It is also one of the reasons why I mention the size after each round/row --- gives some idea since even threads may vary with brands.However, it is also what gives a unique individuality & character to each project made from same pattern :-D

Oh the tension differences...gotta love 'em. I can't count the amount of times I have sat down, trying to tat a lovely pattern from a book, only to find out some hours later that it will not work without adjustments. That's when the blocking board, pins, and water become my best friends. They really do work wonders!

I agree with what everyone has said about tension... it can make or break a desire to tat certain patterns. I've only tatted one oval doily, and I found that it was harder to achieve a good look than it is with round ones. Again, it must have to do with the tension. Good luck with following Ben's pattern! I plan on joining the fun when school gets out for the summer.